Hammer Down

by The SteelDrivers

Overview

On their third album, the SteelDrivers continue to forge their own unique path in the world of bluegrass/acoustic music. They play music that sounds like bluegrass on the surface, but they usually eschew the high lonesome harmonies of traditional bluegrass for a more mainstream approach that often sounds like hardcore country gone acoustic. New guitarist Gary Nichols' lead vocals owe as much to rock as they do to country and bluegrass, and the subject matter wanders far astray of the usual concerns of bluegrass traditions. Everyone in the band is a seasoned Nashville vet, so while they never sound like they're trying to consciously stretch the limits of bluegrass, they do so just by being themselves. "Wearin' a Hole" is a hardcore country drinkin' song full of heartache and booze, with Richard Bailey's banjo playing what would be a guitar solo on a country track. The harmonic banjo and fiddle hook makes "Burnin' the Woodshed Down" a standout. It turns the usual lament about hard times inside-out when the singer decides to vent his anger with an act of arson. Nichols strikes an R&B chord on "Cry No Mississippi," a kiss-off to a faithless lover from a lover who holds his head up high as he tells her he "won't beg or crawl" or "cry no Mississippi." The opener, "Shallow Grave," is the closest the band comes to traditional bluegrass; it's an old-fashioned murder ballad that sounds like it's 200 years old, with Tammy Rogers contributing wailing lonesome fiddling and Bailey adding his desolate banjo picking. ~ j. poet

Product Details

Release Date:	05/30/2025
Label:	Rounder
UPC:	0888072688452

Tracks

1. Shallow Grave
2. How Long Have I Been Your Fool
3. When You Don't Come Home
4. I'll Be There
5. Burnin' The Woodshed Down
6. Wearin' A Hole
7. Lonesome Goodbye
8. Hell On Wheels
9. Cry No Mississippi
10. When I'm Gone

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The SteelDrivers   Primary Artist
Tammy Rogers   Fiddle,Vocals,Cello,Viola
Brent Truitt   Guitar,Bouzouki,Mandolin,Octave Mandolin
Mike Fleming   Bass,Vocals
Gary Nichols   Guitar,Vocals,Foot Stomping
Chris Stapleton   Guitar,Vocals
Richard Bailey   Banjo

Technical Credits

Tammy Rogers   Composer,Group Member
Mike Henderson   Composer,Composer
John Paul White   Composer
Al Anderson   Composer
Brent Truitt   Mixing,Editing,Engineer,Group Member
John Caldwell   Engineer
Paul Blakemore   Mastering
Leslie Satcher   Composer
Luke Wooten   Producer,Mixing Engineer
Mike Fleming   Group Member
Gary Nichols   Composer,Group Member,Assistant Engineer
Donna Franklin   Production Assistant
Jimmy Nutt   Engineer
Kyle Manner   Mixing,Assistant Engineer
Barry Billings   Composer
Chris Stapleton   Composer
Richard Bailey   Group Member
The SteelDrivers   Producer
Devon Guillery   Art Direction,Package Design
Mickey Dobo   Photography
Frances Specker Bradley   Composer
Juli Thanki   Liner Notes
Kris Bergness   Composer